


From Nowhere

by thisjabroni



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: M/M, Roadtrip, prellernet, prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-26
Updated: 2014-07-26
Packaged: 2018-02-10 13:09:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2026287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thisjabroni/pseuds/thisjabroni
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Co-workers Jimmy Price and Brian Zeller are supposed to meeting Jack Crawford at five on the dot, and time is ticking as they’re half way through their road trip. Will the problems they encounter along the way finally give them the time they need to work out their differences?</p>
            </blockquote>





	From Nowhere

**Author's Note:**

> Drabble for #2 of the Prellernet prompts, go join [Here](http://prellernet.tumblr.com) This was co-written with the amazingly talented [Abbi](http://pricezellers.tumblr.com/) thanks luv you totally kept this fic afloat and everyone should go follow her if they're not already.

“We’re lost.”

“We’re not lost.”

“Then where are we?”

Brian could feel the raised eyebrow pointed at him and he wasn’t going to give Jimmy the satisfaction of looking. Yes they were lost and yes Brian had been circling the same road for half an hour now but he wasn’t going to admit that to his smart ass colleague. 

“I knew I should have drove.” Jimmy said for what felt like the fiftieth time and Brian clenched the steering wheel hard. 

“One more time Jimmy, say it one more time I swear I’m pushing you out of the car.” 

“Well I’d get there quicker.” 

Brian exhaled deeply trying to remain calm he could feel the irritation starting to prickle at his skin and was aware of the fact that Jimmy’s eyes were boring into him, challenging his authority over the steering wheel. He tried to smile, but caught his reflection in the review mirror and saw that his expression was closer to a grimace. 

“Every time you drive, you end up complaining that I never drive,” he said. “That’s why I’m driving.” 

“Well clearly this is the reason why I always drive,” Jimmy pointed out. “I’m just better with directions.”

Brian looked over at him and gave a sharp laugh. “The person in the passenger seat is meant to be the navigator so the driver can concentrate on driving! Evidently I am the one better with the better sense of direction.” He heard Jimmy mutter something under his breath, but chose to ignore it. There was another four hours of this to go.  
Jimmy pulled out a map from the glove department unfolding it until it was spread across most of the car, Brian shoved the map out of his face in mild annoyance he should have offered Beverly a lift instead, she had gone with Jack and now Brian wished he had taken his chances to ride with them instead. 

Jimmy knotted his brows together in concentration trying to read the map, they were travelling through miles and miles of forest roads and the lack of road signs were starting to annoy Jimmy.

“I’ve seen that same tree three times now.” Jimmy folded up the map and threw it behind him into the back seat, there wasn’t must point in it. “I’m calling Jack.”

“Don’t.” Brian warned “If we’re late I’ll get the blame for it.” 

“Because it’s your fault we’re lost.” 

“We’re not—"

Jimmy held his hand up for Brian to stop talking and he instantly did, shaking his head to himself, how he had become classically conditioned by Jimmy he didn’t want to know. “If we were anymore lost we’d be on a desert island finding bunkers and ultimately an unsatisfying ending.” 

“You finally watched Lost then.”

“Yes and that is the last time I watch anything you recommend, wasted hours on that show.” Jimmy mumbled folding his arms across his chest. 

It was meant to be a simple task of driving to Connecticut to hunt down a lead they had been tracking, and Jack was dragging all of his team up there with him. Jack had said well yelled at Brian he wanted them there by five on the dot, it was nearly three and they were nowhere near their location they weren’t even near a highway. 

Brian slammed his hand on the steering wheel in anger, and brought the vehicle to a stop; he gave himself a minute before turning to Jimmy, who was sitting awaiting an explanation.

“Give me the map,” he ordered. Jimmy handed it over and after a small fight with the huge crumpled bit of paper, and nearly poking Jimmy in the eye, Brian pinpointed their location. He gave a groan as he traced the route they had taken, then the route they should have gone. Jimmy watched him the whole time without saying a word for once.

“Jim we’re never going to get they’re in time,” he complained. Jimmy looked over his shoulder at where Brian’s finger was laying.

“Just put your foot down, so what if we get at ten past rather than five? Jack yells at us for something every day, today it can be because we were late,” he said. Brian folded the map over into a smaller, neater state so that the journey they needed to take was in middle, as clear as day for Jimmy to follow.

“Okay, we can do this,” Brian muttered, more to himself than to his co-worker. He put the car into gear and started off again, almost smiling at the way Jimmy had his finger on the map trying to keep up with where they were so that they wouldn’t miss a turning. They drove in silence for a few minutes, until Jimmy started sniffing.

“Brian, what’s that smell?”

“Right, very funny,” Brian replied, not in the mood for Jimmy’s jokes. Jimmy sniffed again, then began looking wildly around the car and out the windows.

“I’m being serious,” he said, and after another second, Brian could smell it too. “Something smells like burning.”

“That’s not a god sign,” Brian said. He stopped the car once again. 

Brian rested his head in his hands leaning over the steering wheel, the longer he sat there denying anything was wrong and the car was fine, he would be ok.

“Are you going to inspect the damage or should I?” Jimmy’s tone cut harshly through Brian’s fantasy world making him pull away from his hands, he didn’t know if he looked more miserable than he felt but Jimmy give him a sympathetic smile before exiting the car. He could already see the smoke billowing out of the car as Jimmy wafted it away with his hands before opening the hood of the car. 

“I don’t know anything about cars, human anatomy yes, cars not so much.” Brian let Jimmy talk to himself for a few moments longer before pushing himself to leave the car he didn’t know the first thing about them either. 

“Let me look at it.” He brushed Jimmy away from the car and popped open the hood again pretending to know what he was doing. Jimmy peered over his shoulder watching him, when he sensed Jimmy narrow his eyes at him he knew he was done for.

“You don’t have a clue what you’re doing.” Jimmy threw his hands up in the air. “This is just great, this is just peachy trust Brian Zeller to get anything right can’t even drive a car without fucking that up.”

“What the hell is your problem lately?” Brian snapped spinning around to glare at Jimmy who was too busy pacing up and down.

“My problem,” Jimmy started calmly. “Is that we’re in the middle of nowhere with a broken down car and.” Jimmy stopped to pull his phone out of his pocket to check it and throwing his hands up again. “Just as I suspected there’s no signal here, so that Brian is my problem.” 

“No, I’m not just talking about this, we’ve been walking on egg shells around each other for the past few months so what is it? Are you drinking again?”

“Are you fucking again?” Jimmy retorted, “One addiction is as good as the other right?”

“What does that have to do with you?” Brian asked incredulously he was pacing the opposite way of Jimmy now, not knowing what the hell to do with himself, if he stopped he might do something he regretted. 

Jimmy sighed “It doesn’t just forget it.” He sat himself down on the curb, he could have laid himself flat out onto the road and it wouldn’t have made the slightest bit of difference. They were stuck. He had been avoiding spending time with Brian which was cutting away at him every time Brian asked to hang out after work he have to watch Brian give him that same disappointed look, but Jimmy had to put some distance in between themselves before he ruined their friendship, but with the way things were going they were hurtling towards just being acquaintances. 

After a number of tense moments passing, Brian eventually stopped pacing and sat down next to him. If they were stuck out here for who knows how long, he may as well try and make the best of it. Especially since Jimmy looked so deflated by the situation.

“What should we do?” Brian asked. Jimmy looked up at him in horror, before realising he was talking about the car and not what was going on in his head. He looked at his phone again. The signal bar was empty, and as Brian copied his actions he found the same thing on his phone.

“I guess we walk until we find a signal or someone to help us,” Jimmy suggested. It was a hot day, and the idea wasn’t appealing to either of them, but what else could be done? “Is there any food or drink in the car?”

“No, I think we finished the last bottle of water a few miles back,” Brian said. Jimmy groaned and put his head in his lap. This was the last thing that he needed today, he looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Jimmy quickly shrugged him off and jumped up, putting his hands in his pockets, and then changing his mind and folding his arms as though he didn’t know what to do with himself. He hated that Brian had this effect over him.

“So which direction do you want to walk?” Brian asked, also standing up and rubbing the back of his neck, trying to pretend he hadn’t just found Jimmy’s reaction odd.

“Let’s split up,” Jimmy said, pointing in the direction that he intended to walk. Brian pulled a face at him.

“Really? Isn’t that rule one of being in a horror movie, if you breakdown in the middle of nowhere you don’t split up?” Brian asked, trying to make a joke.

“We’re not in a horror movie,” Jimmy told him, and then started walking. Brian hesitated, watching Jimmy storm off and then over his shoulder in the direction that he thought looked more promising. In the end, after a quick jog, he caught up with his co-worker.

“Hey, I’m not just going to let you wander off into the woods on your own,” he said. Jimmy quickened his pace. “You’re kind of short you know, I can keep up with you quite easily.” Jimmy carried on ignoring him, which just made Brian more eager to evoke a reaction. He usually thought of Jimmy as being the annoying one out of the pair of them, but apparently today it was his turn.   
“Are you really ignoring me?” he asked. Then he stopped in his tracks. “Okay, what the fuck is your problem? Just spit it out. Right now.”

“My problem?” Jimmy yelled turning around. “What’s your problem?”

“Me? At this very moment in time it’s the fact that my co-worker, the guy who used to be my best friend, can barely look in me in the eye!” Brian yelled back. This was childish, he knew it was, but he couldn’t help himself.

“Well perhaps if you weren’t so busy fucking everything that moves, you would be able to work it out,” Jimmy said. Brian opened his mouth to retaliate, but then closed it again, too hurt to think of a coherent response. They both took a couple of breaths.  
“Right, so we’re back to this,” Brian said finally, his voice quiet. “Well carry on, I’ve been too busy fucking everything that moves to work out what?”

Jimmy scrubbed at his face with his hands it meant not having to look Brian in the eyes who was obviously hurt and Jimmy hated himself for it. 

“It doesn’t matter, can we just get moving?” 

“You can’t keep throwing that in my face,” Brian stood before adding softly “you’re supposed to be my friend.” 

There was that word again and Jimmy couldn’t help but flinch and Brian gave him an odd look not daring to move any closer to Jimmy.

“I mean we are… still friends?” Brian sounded pathetic but he didn’t care, he had no idea what had gotten into Jimmy but he knew it had been building for a while, he tried to pass it off give Jimmy some space but that had just made things worse. The silence was making his heart drop and Jimmy still couldn’t look him in the eye.

“Maybe it’s best we just remain colleagues.” Jimmy mumbled not even believing himself, he was looking anywhere but at Brian. 

“Why? Is the alcoholic too good to be friends with the sex addict?” 

“It’s not because of that!” Jimmy yelled, his voice echoing through the trees.

“You know all those times you would go out drinking and call me at fucking four in the morning to come pick your ass up in some shitty bar and sit up with you so you didn’t choke on your own vomit I never once walked away from you, but now Jimmy fucking Price is too good for me, well fine. Fuck you.” Brian ran a shaking hand through his hair, trying to calm himself down he gave Jimmy one last glaring look before turning around his hands balled into fists by his side. 

Jimmy sank back down on the curb watching as Brian stalked off down the road, this was a fucking mess, Brian’s words were still stabbing away at him as his colleague, friend, the guy he was way too fucking deep in love with was walking away from him. 

“Why Freddie?” Jimmy asked quietly staring down at his hands. 

“Why does it always come back to this?” 

Jimmy had no idea how Brian had heard him, he glanced at Brian stood still in the middle of road, his eyes burning away at Jimmy who couldn't handle another second of this, his resolve was slipping he exhaled deeply wishing he smoked at least he’d have something to do with his hands, he wanted to walk over and grab. If Brian was never going to speak to him again after this then what did it matter Jimmy decided.

“That night at the bar,” Jimmy looked to see if Brian was listening and he was albeit glaring harshly at him. “It had been a rough week at work and Jack was on our case about Will and then Danny showed up unannounced at my house saying he had nowhere else to go so yeah my six months sobriety went down the fucking drain, I fucked up I’m sorry.” 

Jimmy was talking to his hands now it was easier than talking to Brian. “I was wasted just downed drink after drink and then you were there and everything was ok again.” Jimmy tried to keep his voice steady, but he sounded weak even to his own ears, he hadn’t realised Brian had walked back over until he sat himself down beside him. 

“You drove me home and I told you I love you in the car and,” Jimmy stopped because he had gone over this a hundred times replaying everything for nearly a year letting it eat away at him, he wished he had drank enough to forget it ever happened. “You left with me with my brother and then you went and fucked Freddie Lounds.”   
Brian balked beside him, they weren’t sitting closely but he felt it he knew Brian wasn’t especially proud of sleeping with Freddie. 

“You were drunk Jim.” Brian shook his head defeated.

“I still meant it.” 

Brian thought back to that night, unfortunately every detail had been burned into his mind vividly, like a movie he’d watched so many times he knew it by heart. Jimmy had been a mess, he’d got him into the car and he hadn’t stop sobbing about his brother and how much he’d screwed everything up. Brian had tried to be comforting but in the end he had no idea how to handle someone in this state, let alone someone he cared so much about. He’d been selfish and was already panicking, then Jimmy had said those three words and everything had stopped. He wanted them so badly to be true, but Jimmy could barely walk let alone know what he was saying. It was stupid to have been so upset about it, but every bone in his body ached for it to be the truth. Then he did what he always did when he couldn’t sleep with Jimmy, he slept with someone else. That night Freddie Lounds was just there. He felt sick thinking about it. He didn’t blame her, he blamed himself for the complete mess he’d made out of everything and everyone.

“I wanted you to mean it,” Brian said. He saw Jimmy’s face twitch in confusion, and swallowed nervously. “I couldn’t face the thought that I’d never hear those words when you were sober.”

There was a silence.

“I shouldn’t have left you that night,” Brian continued. He looked over, and saw that Jimmy was looking at him properly for the most time in months. He seemed taken aback, and uncharacteristically speechless. “Say it again.”

“What?” Jimmy asked, there was something in Jimmy’s expression that was mistrustful. He knew Brian Zeller well, but would never have predicted this scenario. A stupid voice in the back of his head tried to tell him that Brian was lying, that none of this was true, how could it be?

“Say it again, what you said that night. Tell me.”

If this was all a setup, if Brian just wanted another one night stand, he didn’t care. This might be his last chance.

“I love you,” the words were barely audible, but it didn’t matter because to Brian they rang out as loudly as a full symphony playing into his ears.

“I love you too,” he replied. He wasn’t sure if Jimmy was about to cry or laugh, so before he could do either he leaned in and pressed his lips against Jimmy’s. The kiss was soft, and lingered only for a moment, over so quickly Jimmy wasn’t even sure if it had happened but left him wanting more. Every feeling he had ever felt for Brian Zeller bubbled to the surface and threatened to erupt.

He wasn’t sure what to do, if they should hug or kiss again, or have a grown up conversation about this. Then, to his surprise, Brian laughed.

“What?” Jimmy asked.

“We’re going to be so late.”


End file.
